Semiconductor device and manufacturing method thereof

ABSTRACT

A semiconductor device of the invention includes: a substrate having a hollowed hollow section on a top surface; a semiconductor chip mounted in the hollow section of the substrate; and a lid having a substantially plate-shaped top plate section that opposes the substrate and covers the hollow section, and having at least one pair of side wall sections that project from a circumference of the top plate section towards the substrate and that engage with a side surface of the substrate. The substrate and the lid can be accurately positioned.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/566,879, filed Dec. 5, 2006, now U.S. Pat. Now 7,646,092 the entiretyof which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device provided with asemiconductor chip such as a sound pressure sensor chip and a pressuresensor chip.

Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Applications No. 2005-351653 andNo. 2005-351654 filed on Dec. 6, 2005, Japanese Patent Application No.2005-376393 filed on Dec. 27, 2005, and Japanese Patent Application No.2006-296013 filed on Oct. 31, 2006, the contents of which areincorporated herein by reference.

2. Description of Related Art

As disclosed in Published Japanese Translation No. 2004-537182 of thePCT International Publication and U.S. Pat. No. 6,781,231, in aconventional semiconductor device such as a silicon microphone or apressure sensor, a semiconductor chip, which has a movable part such asa sound pressure sensor chip or a pressure sensor chip, is mounted onthe top surface of a substrate. In a semiconductor device of this kind,the top surface of a circuit substrate on which a semiconductor chip ismounted is covered by a metallic cover (lid) that forms a hollow spacethat encloses the semiconductor chip. An aperture section is formed inthis cover to communicate the above hollow space with an outer space.This cover is fixed on the circuit substrate by adhering an end sectionof the cover to the top surface of the substrate via a conductiveadhesive agent.

However, since it is necessary to adhere and fix the cover to the topsurface of the circuit substrate in the manufacturing of the aboveconventional semiconductor device, it is difficult to position of thecover with respect to the circuit substrate.

Moreover, for this kind of semiconductor device, it is demanded toimprove the manufacturing efficiency, and reduce the manufacturing costof the semiconductor device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In consideration of the situation described above, an object of thepresent invention is to provide a semiconductor device in which the lidcan be easily positioned with respect to the substrate, and a lid to beused for this semiconductor device.

Furthermore, another object of the present invention is to improve themanufacturing efficiency of the semiconductor device while achieving areduction in manufacturing cost of the semiconductor device.

In order to solve the above problem, a semiconductor device of thepresent invention is provided with: a substrate having a hollowed hollowsection on a top surface; a semiconductor chip mounted in the hollowsection of the substrate; and a lid having a substantially plate-shapedtop plate section that opposes the substrate and covers the hollowsection, and having at least one pair of side wall sections that projectfrom a circumference of the top plate section towards the substrate andthat engage with a side surface of the substrate.

Moreover a manufacturing method for a semiconductor device according tothe present invention for manufacturing a semiconductor device in whicha semiconductor chip mounted on one face in the thickness direction of asubstrate, is covered by a conducting lid via a hollowed hollow section,comprises: a substrate plate member preparation step for forming acutout for dividing a substrate plate on which a large number of thesemiconductor chips are arranged in line on the one face in thethickness direction, into individual substrates; a lid preparation stepfor forming a large number of lids which individually cover the largenumber of semiconductor chips, positioned on one face of the substrateplate; an alignment step for overlapping and fixing the large number oflids on the one face side of each of the substrate plates so that thelarge number of lids cover each of the large number of semiconductorchips; and a dividing step for breaking the substrate plates from thecutout, and dividing into individual semiconductor devices.

According to the semiconductor device of the present invention, byhaving a pair of side wall sections engaged with the side surfaces ofthe substrate, the top plate section can be easily positioned withrespect to the substrate, that is, the lid can be easily positioned withrespect to the substrate.

Moreover in the manufacturing method for a semiconductor deviceaccording to the present invention, since the cutout is formed in thesubstrate plate member preparation step, then in the dividing step, bysimply bending the substrate plate member and producing a shear force inthe remaining portion of the cutout, the remaining portion of the cutoutcan be easily broken. Moreover, in the overlapping step since the largenumber of lids are overlapped and fixed to the one side face of therespective substrate plate members, individual semiconductor devices canbe obtained at the same time as dividing the substrate plate membersinto individual substrates. In this dividing step, it is not necessaryto divide using dicing where the fracture portion is cooled with water.Therefore even if an aperture portion is formed in the lids, and thehollow space portion arranged in the substrate chip is communicated withthe outside, there is no occurrence of an undesirable situation wherethe water ingresses to inside the hollow space from the opening portion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view that shows a semiconductor device accordingto a first embodiment of the present invention, seen from a lid side.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view that shows the semiconductor device in FIG.1 seen from a ceramic substrate side.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view that shows the semiconductor device in FIG.1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view that shows a substrate plate member used ina manufacturing method of the semiconductor device according to thefirst embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view that shows a partial enlargement of thesubstrate plate member shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view that shows a lid used in a firstmanufacturing method of the semiconductor device according to the firstembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a sectional side view that shows the first manufacturingmethod of the semiconductor device according to the first embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 8 is a sectional side view that shows the first manufacturingmethod of the semiconductor device according to the first embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 9 is a sectional side view that shows the manufacturing method ofthe semiconductor device according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a sectional side view that shows a dividing step in themanufacturing method of the semiconductor device according to thepresent invention.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view that shows another example of the dividingstep in the manufacturing method of the semiconductor device accordingto the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view that shows a semiconductor deviceaccording to a second embodiment of the present invention seen from alid side.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view that shows the semiconductor device inFIG. 12 seen from a ceramic substrate side.

FIG. 14 is an enlarged perspective view that shows a substrate platemember used for manufacturing the semiconductor device in FIG. 12.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view that shows a lid used for manufacturingthe semiconductor device in FIG. 12.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view that shows another example of the lid usedfor manufacturing the semiconductor device in FIG. 12.

FIG. 17 is a schematic perspective view that shows a lid plate memberused in a second manufacturing method of the semiconductor deviceaccording to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a sectional side view that shows the second manufacturingmethod of the semiconductor device according to the first embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 19A and FIG. 19B are an enlarged perspective view and an enlargedsectional side view that show the lid plate member shown in FIG. 17.

FIG. 20 is a sectional view that shows the second manufacturing methodof the semiconductor device according to the first embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 21A, FIG. 21B, and FIG. 21C are enlarged perspective views thatshow modified examples of a flection section of the lid plate membershown in FIG. 17.

FIG. 22 is an enlarged perspective view that shows a lid plate memberused in the second manufacturing method of the semiconductor deviceaccording to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a sectional side view that shows an example of a lidpreparation step in the manufacturing method of the semiconductor deviceaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 24A and FIG. 24B are sectional side views that show other examplesof the lid preparation step in the manufacturing method of thesemiconductor device according to the present invention.

FIG. 25 is a sectional side view that shows a semiconductor deviceaccording to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 26 is a perspective view that shows a lid used in manufacturing thesemiconductor device in FIG. 25.

FIG. 27 is a sectional side view that shows a manufacturing method ofthe semiconductor device according to a third embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 28 is a sectional side view that shows a manufacturing method ofthe semiconductor device according to a third embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 29 is a sectional side view that shows a modified example of thesemiconductor device according to the third embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 30 is a sectional side view that shows a semiconductor deviceaccording to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Next, a first embodiment of a semiconductor device of the presentinvention is described, with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, a semiconductor device 1 according to thisembodiment is provided with: a ceramic substrate 3 formed in asubstantially plate shape; and a semiconductor chip 5 and a lid 7arranged and overlapped on a top surface 3 a side of the ceramicsubstrate 3.

The ceramic substrate 3 is a plate of a substantially rectangular shapein a plan view, a center section of each side surface 3 b thereof beingrecessed, with a cutaway 9 formed extending from the top surface 3 a toa reverse surface 3 c of the ceramic substrate 3. As can be seen in FIG.3, a concave section 11 recessed from the top surface 3 a is formed inthe ceramic substrate 3. A hole 13 having a closed end is formed in asubstantially center section of a bottom surface 11 a of this concavesection 11. A step section 15 is formed by lamination on a circumferenceof the bottom surface 11 a, and this step section 15 forms a stair shapebetween the top surface 3 a of the ceramic substrate 3 and the bottomsurface 11 a of the concave section 11.

A plurality of pad electrodes 17 for electrically connecting thesemiconductor chip 5 are formed on a top surface 15 a of the stepsection 15. A plurality of external connection terminals 19 are formedon a reverse surface 3 c of the ceramic substrate 3. These padelectrodes 17 and external connection terminals 19 are electricallyconnected by a wiring section 21 formed within the ceramic substrate 3.

A shield member 23 having conducting properties is provided in theceramic substrate 3. This shield member 23 is laminated on the entirebottom surface 11 a of the concave section 11. A substantially annularshaped connection pad 25 is formed on the top surface 3 a of the ceramicsubstrate 3 around the circumference of an aperture section of theconcave section 11, and it is electrically connected to the shieldmember 23. One portion of this shield member 23 forms the bottom surface11 a of the concave section 11.

The pad electrodes 17, external connection terminals 19, wiring section21, shield member 23, and connection pad 25 described above are formedusing paste principally compounded of silver powder, copper powder ortungsten powder (a mixture of silver powder, copper powder, or tungstenpowder with a binder such as acrylic resin). The pad electrodes 17,external connection terminals 19, and connection pad 25 are formed byplating the above mentioned materials with nickel (Ni) of thickness 1 μmor more and gold (Au) of thickness 0.3 μm. These pad electrodes 17,external connection terminals 19 and wiring section 21, and shieldmember 23 and connection pad 25 are electrically insulated.

This ceramic substrate 3 is formed, as shown in FIG. 3, by laminating aplurality of insulating layers 27, 28, 29, and 30 formed by bakingceramic green sheet. The above mentioned pad electrodes 17, externalconnection terminals 19, wiring section 21, shield member 23, andconnection pad 25 are formed on each of the insulating layers 27, 28,29, and 30. That is to say, the concave section 11, step section 15, andhole 13 formed in the ceramic substrate 3 are formed by punching themout from the ceramic green sheet.

The semiconductor chip 5 is a sound pressure sensor chip (microphone)that converts an acoustic signal into an electric signal. That is tosay, this semiconductor chip 5 is provided with a diaphragm 5 a thatoscillates in response to pressure variation of acoustic signals or thelike from the space outside the semiconductor device 1. The diaphragm 5a is configured so as to oscillate in a thickness direction of thesemiconductor chip 5.

This semiconductor chip 5 is adhered via an adhesive paste B1 composedof insulating materials, and fixed on the bottom surface 11 a of theconcave section 11 so as to cover the hole 13. The semiconductor chip 5is electrically connected to the pad electrodes 17 by wires 31. Theconcave section 11 formed in the ceramic substrate 3 maintains a hollowsection S1 large enough to allow the diaphragm 5 a to oscillatesufficiently between the diaphragm 5 a of the semiconductor chip 5 andthe hole 13 of the ceramic substrate 3.

The lid 7 is formed from a material having conducting properties, forexample nickel silver (Cu—Ni—Zn alloy), plated copper, plated 42 alloy(Fe-42 wt % Ni alloy) or the like. For the plating, for example nickelplating, chrome plating, or gold plating is used.

The lid 7 is provided with a top plate section 35 and a plurality ofside wall sections 37. The top plate section 35 is of a substantiallyrectangle shape and covers the top surface 3 a of the ceramic substrate3 and the aperture of the concave section 11, forming a hollow space(hollow section) S2 that includes the semiconductor chip 5. The sidewall sections 37 project from the circumference of the top plate section35 and engage with the cutaways 9 of the side surfaces 3 b of theceramic substrate 3.

As shown in FIG. 6, in the top plate section 35, a substantially annularshaped projection section 39 is formed in a position opposing to thecircumference of the concave section 11 of the ceramic substrate 3 so asto project towards the top surface 3 a of the ceramic substrate 3. Sincethis projection section 39 is formed by deforming the top plate section35, the rigidity of the lid 7 is improved to prevent deflection of thetop plate section 35.

In a state where the top plate section 35 is arranged on the top surface3 a of the ceramic substrate 3, this projection section 39 iselectrically connected to the connection pad 25. Specifically, theprojection section 39 and the connection pad 25 are adhered and fixed toeach other by the conductive paste B2 that has conductive properties. Asa result, the lid 7 is fixed on the ceramic substrate 3. Moreover, thelid 7 and the shield member 23 surround the semiconductor chip 5, andthe shield member 23 of the ceramic substrate 3 and the lid 7 areelectrically connected to each other.

An aperture section 35 a is formed in the top plate section 35 so as topass through in the thickness direction thereof. This aperture section35 a communicates between the hollow space S2 that includes thesemiconductor chip 5, and the outer space outside the semiconductordevice 1.

The side wall sections 37 of the lid 7 respectively project from each ofthe four sides of the top plate section 35. Pairs of side wall sections37 provided on two opposing sides of the top plate section 35 opposeeach other. The plurality of the side wall sections 37 respectivelyengage with a plurality of the cutaways 9 formed in the side surface 3 bof the ceramic substrate 3. That is to say, the side wall sections 37press against and contact with side surfaces 9 a of each of the cutaways9.

Next, a first manufacturing method of the semiconductor device 1 of thefirst embodiment according to the present invention configured asdescribed above is described.

In this manufacturing method, first, as shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 5, andFIG. 7, a substrate plate member 41 on which a number of semiconductorchips 5 can be arranged is prepared (substrate plate member preparationstep). This substrate plate member 41 is a number of the ceramicsubstrates 3 connected in a matrix.

In this substrate plate member preparation step, to begin, four greensheets formed into a sheet form from ceramic paste containing ceramicpowder are prepared. These green sheets constitute the respectiveinsulating layers 27, 28, 29, and 30 of the ceramic substrate 3.

Next, each of the green sheets are subjected to a punching process toform window holes for forming the concave section 11, hole 13 and stepsection 15 of the respective ceramic substrates 3, as well as throughholes 43 and 45 used for forming the wiring section 21 and shield member23. Subsequently, paste compounded principally of silver powder, copperpowder or tungsten powder is appropriately printed onto a top surfaceand reverse surface of the respective green sheets by means of screenprinting. Furthermore, the pad electrodes 17, external connectionterminals 19, wiring section 21, shield member 23, and connection pad 25are formed by filling the above paste into the through holes 43 and 45of the respective green sheets.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, these four green sheets arelaminated to construct a green sheet laminated body 47. Cuts 49 a and 49b are formed on the top surface and reverse surface of this green sheetlaminated body 47. These cuts 49 a and 49 b separate individual ceramicsubstrates 3 and are formed in grid. Furthermore, insert holes 51passing through in the thickness direction of the green sheet laminatedbody 47 are formed in one part of the cuts 49 a and 49 b, positionedbetween adjacent ceramic substrates 3. These insert holes 51 are formedsubstantially in the center between respective intersections of the cuts49 a and 49 b formed in a grid. Moreover, these cuts 49 a and 49 b andthe insert hole 51 may be formed either simultaneously or formedrespectively separately.

Subsequently, this green sheet laminated body 47 is baked at 1000° C. ormore, and nickel or gold plating is applied to the pad electrode 17, theexternal connection terminal 19 and the connection pad 25 to completethe manufacturing of the substrate plate member 41.

An example of forming the cuts 49 a and 49 b of the substrate platemember 41 on the top surface 3 a and reverse surface 3 c of thesubstrate plate member 41 has been described. However, it is not limitedto this and the cuts 49 a and 49 b may be formed only on the top surface3 a or reverse surface 3 c of the substrate plate member 41.

Furthermore, an example of forming the ceramic substrate 3 and substrateplate member 41 for constructing the semiconductor device 1 and asemiconductor unit 65 (described later) from the paste containingceramic powder has been described. However, it is not limited to this,and they need only be formed from material that allows the remainingsections of the cuts 49 a and 49 b to be easily broken apart. In otherwords, the ceramic substrate 3 and the substrate plate member 41 may beformed from an organic substrate containing glass fabrics for example.

In this first manufacturing method, a number of the lids 7 are formed asa separate step from the above substrate plate member preparation step(lid preparation step).

As shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, in this lid preparation step, a platemember having conducting properties, such as a copper material or a 42alloy, that has been plated with nickel, chrome or gold, or a platemember of nickel silver is prepared. A punching process is carried outon this plate member to form the top plate section 35 and plate shapedextension sections that integrally extend from the respective sides ofthe top plate section 35.

Cutaway holes 57 are formed at the boarders between the top platesection 35 and the respective extension sections so that the respectiveextension sections can be easily bent with respect to the top platesection 35. In this lid preparation step, the respective extensionsections are bent with respect to the top plate section 35 to form theside wall sections 37 that project in the thickness direction of the toplate section 35. At the time of carrying out this bending process, aprocess for bending the extension sections in a direction such that thetip ends of the respective side wall sections 37 tend away from the sidewall section 37 on the opposite side is also carried out.

An example of providing two pairs of the side wall sections 37 on foursides of the top plate section 35 has been described, however, it is notlimited to this, and they need only be formed on at least one of thepairs of sides of the top plate section 35.

In this lid preparation step, a punching process similar to thatdescribed above is carried out to form the aperture section 35 a in thetop plate section 35. Furthermore, in this lid preparation step, the topplate section 35 is deformed by means of a coining process to form thesubstantially annular shaped projection section 39 that projects in thesame direction as that of the side wall section 37.

Moreover, in this lid preparation step, the punching process for formingthe top plate section 35, the extension section, and the aperturesection 35 a, the bending process for forming the side wall section 37,and the coining process for forming the projection section 39 may becarried out simultaneously or separately.

Having completed the above described substrate plate member preparationstep, the adhesive paste B1 compounded of insulating materials isapplied to the bottom surface 11 a of the respective concave sections11, and a chip arrangement step, in which the semiconductor chips 5 arearranged side by side, is carried out. In this chip arrangement step,after the respective semiconductor chips 5 have been loaded, pastecuring is performed to thermoset the adhesive paste B1. In this pastecuring, heat is applied constantly at 150° C. for approximately onehour. Having completed this chip arrangement step, a connection step forelectrically connecting the semiconductor chip 5 and the pad electrodes17 by the wires 31 is carried out by means of wire bonding, and a visualexamination is carried out to confirm correction connection of the wires31.

Furthermore, these chip arrangement step and connection step are carriedout prior to an overlapping step described later, and may be carried outin parallel with the lid preparation step described above.

Having completed the above described step, the conductive paste B2 isprinted onto the connection pad 25 as shown in FIG. 8. Thereafter, anumber of the lids 7 are overlapped and fixed onto the top surface 3 aof the substrate plate member 41, so as to individually cover thecorresponding semiconductor chips 5 (overlapping step).

At this time, the side wall sections 37 of the respective lids 7 arerespectively inserted into the corresponding insert holes 51 of thesubstrate plate member 41. Thus, the respective lids 7 can be easilypositioned with respect to a number of the semiconductor chips 5. Sincethe tip ends of the opposing side wall sections 37 are bent so as to beaway from each other, the side wall sections 37 can be easily guidedinto the insert holes 51 during insertion. Moreover, in this overlappingstep, since the projection section 39 of the respective top platesection 35 is brought into contact with the above conductive paste B2,the lid 7 and the shield member 23 are electrically connected to eachother.

After the number of lids 7 have been overlapped on the top surface 3 aof the substrate plate member 41 and the projection sections 39 havebeen brought in contact with the conductive paste B2, the number of lids7 and the substrate plate member 41 are flipped over and a metal weightM is loaded onto the reverse surface 3 c of the substrate plate member41 as shown in FIG. 9. In this state, conductive paste curing, in whichheat is applied constantly at 150° C. for approximately one hour, iscarried out to harden the conductive paste B2. As a result, the numberof the lids 7 are fixed onto the substrate plate member 41, completingthe overlapping step.

By completing this overlapping step, a semiconductor unit 65, comprisinga number of semiconductor devices 1 integrally joined, is constructed.

Subsequently, a name for identifying the semiconductor device 1 or anidentification symbol N such as a serial number (refer to FIG. 1) isprinted on the top surface of the respective lids 7. Next, the substrateplate member 41 is broken apart at the cuts 49 a and 49 b to divide itinto individual semiconductor devices 1 (dividing step).

In this dividing step, as shown in FIG. 10, a circumference surface L1of a roller L formed in a substantially column shape is pressed from theunderside against the top surface 3 a side of the substrate plate member41, and the roller L is moved in the direction along the top surface 3 aof the substrate plate member 41. As a result, since the substrate platemember 41 is bent along the shape of the circumference surface L1 of theroller L, the remaining sections of the cuts 49 a and 49 b are brokenapart simultaneously, dividing the substrate plate member 41 into theindividual ceramic substrates 3. Accordingly, the individually dividedsemiconductor device 1 can be obtained.

In this dividing step, in order to achieve protection for the respectivelids 7, it is preferable that a protection member P1 formed as aflexible sheet is placed between the circumference surface L1 and thelid 7. Moreover, in this dividing step, it is preferable that a holdingmember formed as a flexible sheet P2 is arranged on the reverse surfaceof the substrate plate member 41 so that the divided semiconductordevices 1 do not fly off. The protection member P1 and holding member P2do not move with respect to the substrate plate member 41 and therespective lids 7.

In this dividing step, division does not need to be carried out by meansof dicing where the cut sections are cooled by water. Therefore, aproblem of water entering from the respective lids 7 into the hollowspace S2 does not occur.

Furthermore, in the above dividing step, the roller L is moved withrespect to the semiconductor unit 65, the protection member P1 and theholding member P2. However, conversely, the semiconductor unit 65, theprotection member P1 and the holding member P2 may be moved with respectto the roller L.

Moreover, the circumference surface L1 of the roller L may be pressedfrom the above side against the top surface 3 a side of the substrateplate member 41 as shown in FIG. 11. Furthermore, in the case where thedividing step is carried out using the roller L as described above, theroller L may moved by rolling it on the protection member P1.

Moreover, a breaking method for the remaining sections of the cuts 49 aand 49 b in the dividing step is not limited to bending the substrateplate member 41 using the roller L. That is to say, in the dividingstep, a shear stress may be created in the remaining sections of thecuts 49 a and 49 b to break the remaining sections of the cuts 49 a and49 b by moving the pair of the ceramic substrates 3 of the substrateplate member 41 positioned on both sides of the cuts 49 a and 49 b inmutually opposite ways about the direction of thickness of the substrateplate member 41.

In the semiconductor device 1 manufactured by the manufacturing methoddescribed above, as shown in FIG. 3, since the remaining sections of thecuts 49 a and 49 b are constructed as a part of the side surface 3 b ofthe ceramic substrate 3, a cut face 3 d is formed in one part of theside surface 3 b of the ceramic substrate 3. Furthermore, since theinsert hole 51 for the side wall section 37 is divided into half by thebreaking apart of the remaining sections of the cut 49 a and 49 b, ittherefore becomes the cutaways 9 of the ceramic substrate 3. In otherwords, the side surface of the insert hole 51 becomes the side surface 9a of the cut 9.

According to the aforementioned semiconductor device 1 and lid 7, in theoverlapping step, the respective lids 7 can easily be positioned withrespect to a number of the semiconductor chips 5 at the same time bysimply inserting the side wall sections 37 of the respective lids 7 intothe insert holes 51 formed in the substrate plate member 41. In otherwords, when the respective lids 7 cover the respective semiconductorchips 5, since the respective ceramic substrates 3 are pinch held by theside wall sections 37 of the lids 7, the top plate section 35 can beeasily positioned with respect to the respective ceramic substrates 3,and the lid 7 can be easily positioned with respect to the ceramicsubstrate 3.

Furthermore, the lid 7 having conducting properties and the shieldmember 23 of the ceramic substrate 3 surround the respectivesemiconductor chips 5. Specifically, the top plate section 35 of the lid7 covers the upper side of the semiconductor chip 5, and the side wallsection of the lid 7 covers the sides of the semiconductor chip 5, andfurthermore the shield member 23 covers the lower side of thesemiconductor chip 5. These lid 7 and shield member 23 are electricallyconnected to each other, and the electric potentials of the lid 7 andthe shield member 23 are equal.

Accordingly, these conductive lid 7 and shield member 23 preventelectrical noise that occurs outside of the semiconductor device 1 fromentering into the hollow space S2 and reaching the semiconductor chip 5.In other words, a noise related malfunction of the semiconductor chip 5can be reliably prevented.

Next, a second embodiment of the semiconductor device according to thepresent invention is described with reference to FIG. 12 and FIG. 13.Components the same as those of the first embodiment are denoted by thesame reference symbols, and their description is omitted. In asemiconductor device 101 of the second embodiment, side wall sections 71are formed at all corner sections of the top plate section 35 of the lid107. The material of the lid 107 is similar to that of the firstembodiment. The side wall sections 71 may be formed in only one pair ofopposing corner sections of the top lid section 35.

As described above, in the case of forming the side wall sections 71 inall four corners of the top plate section 35, as shown in FIG. 14, inthe substrate plate member preparation step, respective insert holes 72into which the respective side wall sections 71 are inserted are formedin the parts where the cuts 49 a and 49 b intersect. As shown in FIG. 12and FIG. 13, the insert hole 72 becomes a cutaway 74 formed in each ofthe corner sections of a ceramic substrate 103 after the dividing step.Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 15, in the lid preparation step, the sidewall sections 71 are formed in each of the corner sections of the topplate section 35 of the lid 7.

Furthermore, in the case of forming each insert hole 72 in theintersection parts of the cuts 49 a and 49 b, through holes 73 areformed in positions away from the above intersection parts of the cuts49 a and 49 b in the substrate plate member preparation step as shown inFIG. 14, the number of through holes 73 being as many as the number ofthe external connection terminals 19. The respective external connectionterminals 19 are formed in positions in contact with the respectivethrough holes 73.

In the case of this construction, the through hole 73 is divided by thebreaking apart of the remaining section of the cuts 49 a and 49 b in thedividing step, resulting in the formation of a concaved cutaway 75exposed to a side face 103 b of the ceramic substrate 103. This concavedcutaway 75 has an effect of improving solder leak or penetration withrespect to the respective connection terminals 19 when mounting thesemiconductor device 1 on a mounting substrate (not shown in thediagram) by soldering. That is to say, electrical connection between thesemiconductor device 1 and the mounting substrate can be reliablyperformed.

In the aforementioned embodiments, the substrate plate member 41 is usedwhen manufacturing the semiconductor device 1 or 101, however, it is notlimited to this. That is to say, the lids 7 may be overlapped and fittedonto pre-divided individual ceramic substrates 3 to manufacture thesemiconductor device.

Also in the case of this construction, when overlapping and fitting thelid 7 or 107 on the ceramic substrate 3, by respectively engaging thepair of opposing side wall sections 37 or 71 with the cutaways 9 or 74and moving them along the side surface 3 b or 103 b of the ceramicsubstrate 3 or 103, the ceramic substrate 3 or 103 can be pinch held bythese pair of the side wall sections 37 or 71. Therefore, the top platesection 35 can be easily positioned with respect to the ceramicsubstrate 3 or 103, and the lid 7 or 107 can be easily positioned withrespect to the ceramic substrate 3 or 103.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 16, the lid 7′ may have side wall sections83 formed around the whole periphery of the top plate section 35.

In the case of this construction, since the side of the semiconductorchip 5 is covered by the side wall section 83 having conductingproperties, even if noise occurs outside of a semiconductor 84, the sidewall sections 81 and 83 prevent the noise from entering the hollow spaceS2 of the semiconductor device 84 and reaching the semiconductor chip 5.As a result, a malfunction of the semiconductor chip 5 due to noise canbe reliably prevented.

Furthermore, as a method for preventing the above described noise fromentering the hollow space S2 from the side of the semiconductor device 1or 101, there is a method of applying or spraying a copper or silverconductive paste having conducting properties on the side surface 3 b or103 b and the cutaways 9 and 74 of the ceramic substrate 3 or 103.Application or spraying of this conductive paste need only be carriedout on at least the side surfaces 3 b or 103 b and the cutaways 9 and 74of the ceramic substrate 3 or 103 that are not covered by the side wallsections 37, 71, 81, or 83 of the lid 7 or 107.

Moreover, an example of the cutaways 9 and 74 being formed in thesubstrate thickness direction entirely on the area from the top surfaces3 a and 103 a to the reverse surfaces 3 c and 103 c of the ceramicsubstrates 3 and 103 has been described. However, it is not limited tothis. That is to say, the cutaways 9 or 94 may be formed only at leaston the top surface 3 a side or 103 a side of the ceramic substrate 3 or103. In this case, the insert holes 51 or 72 of the substrate platemember 41 formed for the cutaways 9 or 74 are closed-end concavedsections that are recessed from the top surface of the substrate platemember 41.

Furthermore, in the case where a plurality of the side wall sections 37,71 or 81 are formed on the lid 7 or 107, the cutaways do not need to beformed on the side surface 3 b or 103 b of the ceramic substrate 3 or103.

Next, a second manufacturing method of the aforementioned semiconductordevice 1 (FIG. 1 and FIG. 2) of the first embodiment according to thepresent invention is described.

In the second manufacturing method, the substrate plate memberpreparation step described with reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 is sameas in the first manufacturing method.

In this second manufacturing method, a lid plate member 55 formed from anumber of the lids 7 integrally joined in an arrangement similar to thatof the concave sections 11 formed in the above substrate plate member 41is formed before, after, or in parallel with, the above substrate platepreparation step (lid preparation step).

As shown in FIG. 17, 18, 19A and 19B, in this lid preparation step, aplate member having conducting properties, such as a copper material ora 42 alloy, that has been plated with nickel, chrome, or gold, or aplate member of nickel silver is prepared. Next, a punching process iscarried out on this plate member to form the top plate section 35 ofeach lid 7 and a joint section for joining adjacent top plate sections35. This joint section is formed in a plate shape. Cutaway holes 57(FIG. 19A) are formed at the borders between the top plate section 35and the respective joint sections so that the respective joint sectionscan be easily bent with respect to the top plate section 35. Moreover, apunching process similar to that described above is carried out to formthe aperture section 35 a in the respective top plate sections 35.

Furthermore, in this lid preparation step, the respective joint sectionsare bent in a substantially U shape to form bent sections 59 thatproject in the thickness direction of the respective lids 7. A breakingsection 61 that can be easily broken apart is formed on the tip endportion of the respective bent section 59. It is preferable that acutaway 61 a is formed in the breaking section 61 on the outer surfaceside of the bent section 59 by means of press work or half etching asshown in FIG. 19B. However, it may be thinly formed on the tip endportion of the bent section 59 by means of press work. Furthermore, inthis lid preparation step, the top plate section 35 is deformed by meansof a coining process to form a substantially annular shaped projectionsection 39 that projects in the same direction as that of the bentsection 59 mentioned above.

As with the first manufacturing method, a number of the semiconductorchips 5 are mounted on the substrate plate member 41 and electricallyconnected by a chip arrangement step and electrical connection step.

After completion of the above steps, a conductive paste B2 is printed onthe connection pad 25, and then the lid plate member 55 is overlappedand fixed on the top surface 3 a of the substrate plate member 41 asshown in FIG. 20 so that a number of the lids 7 individually cover anumber of the semiconductor chips 5 (overlapping step).

At this time, the bent sections 59 of the lid plate member 55 arerespectively inserted into the insert holes 51 of the substrate platemember 41. Thus, the respective lids 7 can be easily positioned withrespect to a number of the semiconductor chips 5 simultaneously.Moreover, at this time, the projection sections 39 of the respective topplate sections 35 are brought into contact with the above conductivepaste B2. As a result, the lid 7 and the shield member 23 areelectrically connected to each other.

Subsequently, as with the first manufacturing method, as shown in FIG.9, the lid plate member 55 and the substrate 41 are flipped over, and ametal weight M is mounted on the reverse surface 3 c of the substrateplate member 41. In this state, conductive paste curing, in which heatis applied constantly at 150° C. for approximately one hour, is carriedout to harden the conductive paste B2. As a result, the lid plate member55 is fixed on the substrate plate member 41, completing the overlappingstep.

By completing this overlapping step, a semiconductor unit 65, comprisinga number of semiconductor devices 1 integrally joined, is constructed.

Subsequently, as with the first manufacturing method, a name foridentifying the semiconductor device 1 or an identification symbol Nsuch as a serial number (refer to FIG. 1) is printed on the top surfaceof the respective lids 7. Next, a dividing step is carried out using aroller L shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11. By carrying out this dividingstep, the substrate plate member 41 and the lid plate member 55 arebroken apart into individual semiconductor devices 1 at the cuts 49 a,49 b and the breaking section 61.

In the semiconductor device 1 manufactured in the above secondmanufacturing method, the bent section 59 is cut in the breaking section61, and a half of the bent section 59 becomes the side wall section 37of the lid 7, as shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3. The surface of the break isformed on the tip end of the side wall section 37 of the lid 7.

According to this second manufacturing method of the semiconductordevice 1, in the substrate plate preparation step and lid preparationstep, the bent section 59 that already has the cuts 49 a, 49 b and thebreaking section 61 is formed. Therefore, in the dividing step, bysimply bending the substrate plate member 41 and the lid plate member 55at the same time using the roller L, the remaining sections of the cuts49 a, 49 b and the easy breaking section 61 can be easily broken apart.Accordingly, the substrate plate member 41 and the lid plate member 55can be divided into individual ceramic substrates 3 and lids 7. That isto say, a large number of semiconductor devices 1 can be easilymanufactured at once.

Moreover, according to this manufacturing method, in the overlappingstep the respective lids 7 can be easily positioned with respect to anumber of the semiconductor chips 5 simultaneously simply by insertingthe bent sections 59 of the lid plate member 55 into the insert holes 51formed in the substrate plate member 41. As a result, manufacturingefficiency for the semiconductor device 1 can be improved.

Furthermore, according to the above semiconductor unit 65, just beforethe dividing step, one semiconductor unit 65 in which a number of thesemiconductor devices 1 are integrally fixed is constructed. Bytransporting this semiconductor unit 65 in this state, a large number ofthe semiconductor devices 1 can be more easily transported, than bytransporting a large number of the individually divided semiconductordevices 1.

In the above lid preparation step, an example of the respective jointsections of plain plate shape has been described, however it is notlimited to this shape. That is to say, as shown in FIG. 21A, whencarrying out the punching process, a joint section may be formed with amiddle section 91 that is wider than its base portion, and asubstantially rectangular through hole 93 may be formed in this middlesection 91 in a position that includes the breaking section 61.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 21B, a meandering section 95 that meandersbetween the base portion of each joint section and the above middlesection 91 may be formed in the respective joint sections. Furthermore,for example, as shown in FIG. 21C, a wide intermediate section 97 may beformed between the base portion of the joint section and the middlesection 91, and a through hole 99 may be further formed in thisintermediate section 97. In the case of these configurations, by formingthe through holes 93, 99 and the meandering section 95 in the jointsection, the joint section can be bent more easily by a press process toform the bent sections 591 to 593.

Next, a second manufacturing method of the semiconductor device 101according to the second embodiment of the present invention shown inFIG. 12 and FIG. 13 is described.

In this manufacturing method, in the lid preparation step, the side wallsections 71 of each lid 107 are formed in each corner section of the topplate section 35 as shown in FIG. 15. The bent section 59, which becomesa joint portion of each lid 7, is formed in a position independent ofthe side wall section 71 and away from the above corner section. In thecase of this configuration, since the side wall sections 71 of therespective top plate sections 35 are arranged in the corner sections ofthe respective ceramic substrates 103, the lids 107 can easily bepositioned with respect to the respective ceramic substrates 103.

In this lid preparation step, for example, it is preferable that atleast the tip end section of the bent section 59 of the lid plate member55 to be inserted into the insert hole 51 be hardened in order to makeit hard and breakable.

Moreover, in this lid preparation step, as shown in FIG. 23, the topplate section 35 and the bent section 59 may be separately formed, andthese top plate section 35 and bent section 59 may be pressed againstand brought into contact with each other to construct the lid platemember 55 using metal molds A and B. In this case, the bent section 59is formed from a metallic material harder and more breakable than thatof the top plate section 35. In these cases, the breaking section 61 canbe broken apart more easily.

In the example described above, the insert hole 51 is formed in thesubstrate plate member 41 and the substantially U-shaped bent section 59is formed in the lid plate member 55. However, it is not limited tothis. At least, only the cuts 49 a, 49 b and the breaking section 61need to be respectively formed in the substrate plate member 41 and thelid plate member 55. In the case of this construction, the lid 7 isconstructed only from the top plate section 35, and the cut face formedby the breaking section 61 is formed in the top plate section 35. Evenin this construction, during the overlapping step, a large number of thelids 7 can be arranged in positions that individually cover a number ofthe semiconductor chips 5 by simply overlapping and positioning the lidplate member 55 on the top surface of the substrate plate member 41.Therefore, efficiency of manufacturing the semiconductor device 1 can beimproved and cost in manufacturing the semiconductor device 1 can bereduced.

As described above, in the case where the bent section 59 is not formedon the lid plate member 55, the lid plate member 55 is formed by forminga thin metallic film 113 on a top surface 111 a of a substantially plateshape ceramic plate member 111 as shown in FIG. 24A. When manufacturingthe lid plate member 55 of this construction, as shown in FIG. 24B, agreen sheet 115 formed in a sheet form from paste containing ceramicpowder is prepared, and then the thin metallic film 113 is formed on thetop surface 111 a of the green sheet 115 by screen printing or the like.When carrying out this printing, a groove 113 a is pre-formed in aposition corresponding to the cuts 49 a and 49 b of the substrate platemember 41, in the thin metallic film 113. That is to say, a pattern isprinted in which the thin metallic film 113 is not formed in thepositions corresponding to the cuts 49 a and 49 b. Next, as shown inFIG. 24A, cuts (breaking sections) 117 a and 117 b are formed in theposition where the above groove 113 a is formed among the top surface 11a and reverse surface 11 b of the green sheet 115, and then the greensheet 115 is baked to form the ceramic plate member 111.

In the case of this construction, the lid plate member 55 can be easilybroken apart at the cuts 117 a and 117 b together with the ceramicsubstrate plate member 41 in the dividing step. The lid plate member 55of the above configuration is overlapped and fixed on the substrateplate member 41 so that the thin metallic film 113 opposes the substrateplate member 41 in an overlapping step. As a result, the thin metallicfilm 113 can be electrically connected to the connection pad 25 formedon the substrate plate member 41.

Next, a third embodiment of the semiconductor device according to thepresent invention is described, with reference to FIG. 25 through FIG.28.

As shown in FIG. 25, a semiconductor device 201 according to thisembodiment is provided with: a ceramic substrate 203 formed in asubstantially plate shape, and a semiconductor chip 5 and a lid 207arranged and overlapped on a top surface 203 a side of the ceramicsubstrate 203.

The ceramic substrate 203 is formed in a substantially rectangular plateshape, and a plurality of cutaways 209 that extend from the top surface203 a to a reverse surface 203 c of the ceramic substrate 203 are formedon side surfaces 203 b of the ceramic substrate 203. In this cutaway 209there are formed a lead-in step section 10 a on the top surface 203 aside of the ceramic substrate 203, that is further recessed from a sidesurface 209 a of the cutaway 209, and an latching step section 10 b onthe reverse surface 203 c side of the ceramic substrate 203, that isfurther recessed from the side surface 209 a.

Since other constructions are similar to that of the semiconductor 1 ofthe first embodiment, the same components are denoted by the samereference numbers and descriptions thereof are omitted.

The lid 207 has a top plate section 35 similar to that of the lid 7 ofthe first embodiment. Side wall sections 38 are formed in pairs on thefour sides of the top plate section 35, and respectively engage with aplurality of the cutaways 209 formed in the side surface 203 b of theceramic substrate 203. That is to say, they are pressed against andbrought into contact with the side surfaces 209 a of each of thecutaways 209.

The tip end sections 38 a of each pair of side wall sections 38 engageinside the latching step section 10 b of the ceramic substrate 203. Thatis to say, each of the tip end sections 38 a is inserted into thelatching step section 10 b.

Moreover, each intermediate section (latching section) 38 b of the pairsof side wall sections 38 contacts elastically with the side surface 209a of the cutaway 209. That is to say, each of the latching sections 38 bis pressed against the latching step section 10 b of the cutaway 209 dueto elastic deformation of the side wall section 38, and is latched withthe side surface 209 a of the cutaway 209 by a frictional force thatoccurs thereby. Therefore, these pairs of side wall sections 38 pinchhold the ceramic substrate 203.

As described above, the lid 7 is fixed on the ceramic substrate 3 due tothe hooking of the side wall section 38 and the latching step section 10b and due to the ceramic substrate 203 being pinch held by the side wallsection 38. In this fixed state, the projection section 39 of the topplate section 35 is kept in a state of being in contact with theconnection pad 25 of the ceramic substrate 203.

Next, a manufacturing method of the semiconductor device 201 accordingto the third embodiment constructed as described above is described.

In a substrate plate preparation step, similarly to the manufacturingmethod mentioned above, first, green sheets that constitute therespective insulating layers 27, 28, 29, and 30 of the ceramic substrate203 are prepared.

Next, the respective green sheets are subjected to a punching process toform the portions that become the cutaway 9, the lead-in step section 10a, the latching step section 10 b, the concave section 11, the hole 13,and the step section 15 of the ceramic substrate 3. Through holes 43 and45 to be used for forming the wiring section 21 and the shield member23, as well as the pad electrodes 17, the external connection terminals19, the wiring section 21, the shield member 23, and connection pad 25are formed on this green sheet as with the manufacturing methoddescribed above.

The plurality of these green sheets are laminated to construct the greensheet laminated body 47. In this state, a large number of the insertholes 51 that pass through in the thickness direction of the green sheetlaminated body 47 are formed in a portion where the cutaway 209, thelead-in step section 10, and the latching step section 10 b are formed.

Also, the cuts 49 a and 49 b are formed in a grid pattern on the topsurface and reverse surface of this green sheet laminated body 47.Finally, this green sheet laminated body 47 is baked at 1000° C. ormore, and nickel or gold plating is applied to the pad electrode 17, theexternal connection terminal 19 and the connection pad 25 to completethe manufacturing of the substrate plate member 41.

In the lid preparation step, a plate member is prepared similar to thefirst manufacturing method of the semiconductor device of the firstembodiment, and the top plate sections 35 of a number of the lids 207are formed in a similar way. Referring to FIG. 26, the lid 207 is formedwith projection sections 58 that project from the respective sides ofthe top plate section 35. Cutaway holes 57 are formed at the bordersbetween the top plate section 35 and the respective projection sections58 so that the respective projection sections 58 can be easily bent withrespect to the top plate section 35. The respective projection sections58 are bent to become the side wall sections 38 that project in thethickness direction of the respective lids 207. The pairs of side wallsections 38 formed on each of the lids 207 so as to oppose to eachother, are constructed so that the distance between their tip ends isshorter than the distance between the pair of the insert holes 51 so asto pinch hold the ceramic substrate 203.

Having carried out the chip arrangement step and electrical connectionstep for the substrate plate member 41 in a way similar to that of thefirst manufacturing method, as shown in FIG. 27 and FIG. 28, the numberof lids 207 are overlapped and fixed onto the top surface 203 a of thesubstrate plate member 41 so that a large number of the lids 207individually covers a large number of the semiconductor chips 5(overlapping step).

Here, the side wall sections 38 of the respective lids 207 arerespectively inserted into the insert holes 51 of the substrate platemember 41. During this insertion, the pairs of the side wall sections 38are elastically deformed by the lead-in step section 10 a while beinginserted into the insert holes 51, and the tip end sections 38 a of therespective side wall sections 38 are positioned within the latching stepsection 10 b. At this time, the projection section 39 of each of the topplate sections 35 is pressed against, and brought in contact with, theconnection pad 25 of the ceramic substrate 3.

As described above, by respectively inserting the side wall sections 38into the insert holes 51, the respective lids 207 can be easilypositioned with respect to the number of the semiconductor chips 5. Therespective lids 207 are fixed onto the substrate plate member 41 bypositioning the tip end sections 38 a of the side wall sections 38 intothe latching step sections 10 b and pinch holding the respective ceramicsubstrates 203 with a pair of the latching sections 38 b. Moreover,since the projection sections 39 of each of the top plate sections 35are pressed against and brought into contact with the connection pad 25of the ceramic substrate 3, the lid 207 and the shield member 23 areelectrically connected to each other. This completes the overlappingstep.

Subsequently, a dividing step is carried out using the roller L shown inFIG. 10 or FIG. 11, and the substrate plate member 41 is divided intothe individual semiconductor devices 201 by breaking apart the substrateplate member 41 at the cuts 49 a and 49 b.

As described above, according to this manufacturing method, therespective lids 207 can be reliably fixed on the respective ceramicsubstrates 203 without use of an adhesive agent since the tip endsections 38 a of the pair of the side wall sections 38 hook with thelatching step section 10 b and the latching sections 38 b pinch hold therespective ceramic substrates 3. Therefore, manufacturing efficiency ofthe semiconductor device 1 can be improved while enabling easierhandling during manufacturing.

Furthermore, the respective lids 207 can be easily positioned withrespect to the a large number of the semiconductor chips 205 simply byinserting the side wall sections 38 of the lid 207 into the insert holes51 formed in the substrate plate member 41. That is to say, whencovering the respective semiconductor chips 5 with the respective lids207, the top plate section 35 can be easily positioned with respect tothe respective ceramic substrate 203 since the above side wall sections38 pinch hold the respective ceramic substrates 203.

A latching section to be inserted into, and latch with, a step sectionformed so as to recess from the side surface 203 b side of the ceramicsubstrate 203 may be provided on the tip end sections 38 a of the pairof the side wall sections 38. Also in the case of this construction,since the lid 207 can be prevented from falling off from the ceramicsubstrate 203, the lid 207 can be reliably fixed on the ceramicsubstrate 203.

Electrical connection of the shield member 23 of the ceramic substrate 3and the lid 207 may be established by exposing a part of the shieldmember to the outside from the side surface 203 b of the ceramicsubstrate 203, and connecting the side wall section 38 to this exposedpart.

That is to say, as shown in FIG. 29 for example, a latching step section10 c similar to that in the above embodiment is formed between theinsulating layer 27 that forms the reverse surface 203 c of the ceramicsubstrate 203 and the second insulating layer 28 in which a hole 13 isformed. The shield member 23 is formed on the reverse surface of thesecond insulating layer 28. Part of this shield member 23 is exposed tothe outside from the latching step section 10 c, forming a terminalsection 65. This terminal section 65 faces the same direction as thereverse surface 203 of the ceramic substrate 203.

Tip end sections (latching sections) 67 a of a pair of side wallsections 67 respectively engage with the latching step section 10 c andconnect to the terminal section 65. The above tip end sections 67 a maybe engaged with the latching step section 10 c and pressed against theterminal section 65 by pressing a roller against the lid 207 after ithas been placed over the ceramic substrate 203 to deform it.

The terminal section 65 electrically connected to the side wall section67 may be exposed to the outside from the side surface 203 b of theceramic substrate 203 for example. In this case, the side wall section38 and the shield member 23 can be electrically connected to each otherby pressing the latching sections 38 b of the side wall sections 38 thatpinch hold the ceramic substrate 203, into contact with the terminalsection as described in the third embodiment.

Also in the case of these constructions, the electric potentials of thelid 207 and the shield member 23 are equal since the lid 207 and shieldmember 23 are electrically connected to each other. Accordingly, theseconductive lid 207 and shield member 23 prevent electrical noiseoccurring outside of the semiconductor device 201 from entering into thehollow space S2 and reaching the semiconductor chip 5. In other words, anoise related malfunction of the semiconductor chip 5 can be reliablyprevented.

In the construction of FIG. 29, the shield member 23 is connected to thesemiconductor chip 5 via one pad electrode 17 and wire 31, and isfurther connected to one external connection terminal 19. This isconnected to a power supply such as a voltage Vss of a mountingsubstrate (not shown in the diagram) on which this semiconductor device71 is mounted. This configuration of the electrical connection betweenthe shield member 23, the semiconductor chip 5 and the externalconnection terminal 19 may be applied to other embodiments describedabove.

Moreover, the latching step sections 10 b and 10 c were formed in thecutaway 209 of the ceramic substrate 203, however, it is not limited tothis, and all that needs to be formed is a step section for insertingand hooking the latching sections formed in the side wall sections 38and 67. In other words, in the cutaway 209, a concave section (stepsection) may be recessed into and formed in the side surface 209 a. Inthis case, the latching section to be inserted into the above concavesection is formed part way along the side wall sections 38 and 67.

Furthermore, in the third embodiment, a large number of the lids 207 areformed. However, a lid plate member in which a large number of the lids207 are joined in the same arrangement as the concave sections 11 formedin the substrate plate member 41 may be used as with the secondmanufacturing method of the semiconductor device according to the firstembodiment. That is to say, a joint section that joins the circumferenceof the top plate section 35 of each of the adjacent lids 207 ispre-formed in the above lid plate member. It is preferable that abreaking section that can be easily broken be pre-formed in this jointsection. By forming this breaking section, an easy-deforming section ofthe lid plate member and the remaining sections of the cuts 49 a and 49b formed in the substrate plate member 41 can be broken apart in thedividing step.

In the case where a semiconductor device is manufactured using a lidplate member as mentioned above, since the respective lids 7 can beeasily positioned with respect to a large number of the semiconductorchips 5 in the overlapping step, and a large number of the semiconductordevices can be manufactured simply by breaking the substrate platemember 41 and the lid plate member simultaneously at the cuts 49 a, 49 band the breaking section in the dividing step, manufacturing efficiencyof the semiconductor device can be improved while achieving a reductionin manufacturing cost of the semiconductor device.

Furthermore, in the case of manufacturing the semiconductor 201, thesubstrate plate member 41 was used. However, it is not limited to thisand the lids 207 may be respectively overlapped on the pre-dividedindividual ceramic substrates 203.

Even in the case of this configuration, the lid 207 can be fixed on theceramic substrate 203 when overlapping the lid 207 on the ceramicsubstrate 203, by pinch holding the ceramic substrate 203 with a pair ofthe opposing side wall sections 38 and 67 or by inserting and hookingone portion of the side wall sections 38 and 67 with the latching stepsections 10 b and 10 c of the ceramic substrate 203.

Furthermore, an example of forming the cutaway 209, which engages withthe side wall sections 38 and 67, in the side surface 203 b of theceramic substrate 203 has been described. However, the side wallsections 38 and 67 need only to be arranged adjacent to the side surface203 b side of the ceramic substrate 203. Particularly, in the case ofmanufacturing the semiconductor device 201 without using a substrateplate member 41, that is, in the case of placing the lids 207 over theindividual ceramic substrates 203, the above cutaway 209 does not needto be formed.

Next is a description of a semiconductor device 301 according to afourth embodiment of the present invention, with reference to FIG. 30.Components the same as for the aforementioned semiconductor device ofthe first embodiment of the present invention are denoted by the samereference numbers, and their description is omitted.

In this embodiment, similarly to semiconductor device of the firstembodiment, the substrate plate member 41 is formed by the substrateplate member preparation step.

Next, as shown in FIG. 30, in this lid preparation step, a plurality oflids 307 comprising only a substantially plate-shaped top plate section35 are individually prepared. This lid 307 is different from thesemiconductor device of the first embodiment in the point that thesubstantially annular shaped projection section 39 and the side wallsections 37 are not formed on the top plate section 35. The lid 307 isformed from a material having conducting properties, for example nickelsilver (Cu—Ni—Zn alloy), plated copper, plated 42 alloy (Fe-42 wt % Nialloy) or the like. For the plating, for example nickel plating, chromeplating, or gold plating is applied.

In the case of this construction, in the overlapping step, therespective lids 307 are overlapped and fixed to the top surface 3 a ofthe substrate plate member 41, so that the semiconductor chips 5 arecovered by the lids 307. By performing this overlapping step, gives aconstruction of a semiconductor unit 302 where a large number ofsemiconductor chips 5 are individually covered by a large number of lids307. The top plate section 35 and the connection pad 25 are adhered andfixed to each other by the conductive paste B2. As a result, the lid 307is fixed to the ceramic substrate 3. Moreover, the lid 307 and theshield member 23 surround the semiconductor chip 5, and the shieldmember 23 of the ceramic substrate 3 and the lid 307 are electricallyconnected to each other.

By executing the dividing step on this semiconductor unit 302, forbreaking the substrate plates 41 from the cutouts 49 a and 49 b, theindividual piece semiconductor devices 301 are obtained.

Also in the case of manufacturing the semiconductor device 301 in theabove manner, it is possible to improve the manufacturing efficiency ofthe semiconductor device 301, and reduce the manufacturing cost of thesemiconductor device 301. Furthermore, since prior to the dividing step,the semiconductor device 301 is an integral single semiconductor unit302, then by transporting the semiconductor unit 302 in this state, alarge number of the semiconductor devices 301 can be easily transported.

As described above, in the case where a large number of individual lids307 are formed in the lid preparation step, this is not limited toexecuting the dividing step using the roller L after the overlappingstep, and for example the overlapping step may be executed after thedividing step.

In the semiconductor device of the first to fourth embodiments describedabove, a sound pressure sensor chip (microphone) was given as an exampleof the semiconductor chip 5. However, it is not limited to this, and thesemiconductor chip 5 may be a pressure sensor chip for measuringpressure or pressure variation of the outer space of the semiconductordevice 1 for example.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described in detailwith reference to the drawings. However, specific constructions are notlimited to these embodiments and modifications may be made to the designwithout departing from the scope of the present invention.

1. A semiconductor unit for manufacturing semiconductor devices comprising: a substrate plate member on which a plurality of semiconductor chips are respectively mounted on individual substrate areas; a plurality of lids which individually cover said plurality of semiconductor chips, the plurality of lids being fixed to said substrate plate member; cutouts formed in said substrate plate member that divide said individual substrate areas into individual substrates; and insert holes formed in said substrate plate member about peripheries of said individual substrates, said insert holes forming side surfaces of said individual substrates, wherein said plurality of lids each have at least one pair of side wall sections that project from a top surface of said lids section towards said substrate plate member and engage with said side surfaces of said individual substrates.
 2. The semiconductor unit according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of semiconductor chips are respectively mounted in hollow sections of said substrate plate member and said plurality of lids cover said hollow sections, said semiconductor unit further comprising: a plurality of aperture sections respectively formed in said plurality of lids for communicating said hollow sections with the outside.
 3. The semiconductor unit according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of semiconductor chips are sound pressure sensors.
 4. The semiconductor unit according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of lids are connected together to form a lid plate member.
 5. The semiconductor unit according to claim 1, wherein said at least one pair of side wall sections of each of said plurality of lids are provided with a latching section which latches with respective individual substrates.
 6. The semiconductor unit according to claim 5, wherein said latching section is elastically contacted with respective side surfaces of said individual substrates, and is latched by means of a frictional force with said respective side surfaces.
 7. A semiconductor unit for manufacturing semiconductor devices comprising: a substrate plate member on which a plurality of semiconductor chips are respectively mounted on individual substrate areas; a plurality of lids which individually cover said plurality of semiconductor chips, the plurality of lids being fixed to said substrate slate member, wherein each of said plurality of lids have at least one pair of side wall sections that are provided with a latching section which latches with respective individual substrates; and cutouts formed in said substrate plate member that divide said individual substrate areas into individual substrates, wherein a step section is formed as a recess in side surfaces of said individual substrates, and said latching section latches in said step section.
 8. A semiconductor unit for manufacturing semiconductor devices comprising: a substrate plate member on which a plurality of semiconductor chips are respectively mounted in hollow sections of said substrate plate member on individual substrate areas; a plurality of lids which individually cover said plurality of semiconductor chips, the plurality of lids being fixed to said substrate plate member, wherein each of said plurality of lids have at least one pair of side wall sections that are provided with a latching section which latches with respective individual substrates wherein said plurality of lids have conductivity; cutouts formed in said substrate plate member that divide said individual substrate areas into individual substrates; and a plurality of conductive shield members that respectively surround said plurality of lids and said hollow sections, each of said conductive shield members having a terminal section in which at least a part of each of said conductive shield members is exposed to the outside of side surfaces of said individual substrates, wherein said respective latching sections are connected to said terminal section.
 9. A semiconductor unit for manufacturing a semiconductor devices comprising: a substrate plate member on which a plurality of semiconductor chips are respectively mounted on individual substrate areas; a plurality of lids which individually cover said plurality of semiconductor chips, the plurality of lids being fixed to said substrate plate member; and cutouts formed in said substrate plate member that divide said individual substrate areas into individual substrates, wherein a cut face is formed in at least one part of side surfaces of said individual substrates along a thickness direction of said individual substrates, and exposed to the outside from said side surfaces.
 10. A lid used on a semiconductor device configured with a semiconductor chip mounted in a hollow section of a substrate, said lid comprising: a substantially plate-shaped top plate section arranged opposing said hollow section; and at least one pair of side wall sections that project from a periphery of said top plate section towards said substrate and that engage with a side surface of said substrate.
 11. The lid according to claim 10, further comprising an aperture section formed in said top plate section so as to pass therethrough, the aperture section for communicating said hollow section with the outside.
 12. The lid according to claim 10, wherein said top plate section and said wall sections have conductivity, and wherein a plurality of said wall sections are formed at positions that at least surround the outside of said semiconductor chip.
 13. The lid according to claim 10, wherein said top plate section and said wall sections have conductivity, and said side wall sections are formed around the whole periphery of said top plate section.
 14. The lid according to claim 10, wherein a plurality of lids are connected together to form a lid plate member. 